Holloway
Whether fictional or documentary, prison films tend to glorify the constant violence and brutal living conditions of those institutions. Holloway attempts to sidestep this convention by placing the spotlight on six former inmates of Holloway Prison, which was formerly the largest women’s prison in Europe before it was demolished in 2022. Rather than emphasising what the prison experience was like, directors Sophie Compton and Daisy-May Hudson instead shift the focus to the circumstances that led each of the participants to become incarcerated there and their healing journeys after being released. However, by discussing hard-hitting personal themes, Holloway stumbles into the same traps that it sought to avoid.
Comprised of the women sitting in a circle in the prison’s now deserted chapel, this documentary centres around a group therapy session. Although some of the participants understandably use the first session as an opportunity to crack jokes and downplay the impact their stay in Holloway had on them, with one participant coolly describing the institute as a “holiday camp”. As the week continues, their defensive exteriors begin to dissolve. By the halfway point, each of them begins to talk about their upbringings and lingering traumas in raw and honest fashion, with a scene where they draw timelines of their life stories being particularly effective.
While most of the film takes place within the chapel, there are sequences that see some of the women revisit their old cells. With the peeling wallpaper littered across the floor, the filmmakers present these moments as melancholic. The abandoned cells are depicted more as ghosts from the distant past than as a place of terror. In fact, very little is mentioned about the day-to-day life at Holloway or the building’s history. By removing these locations from any associated stigma, the filmmakers ensure that the focus remains wholly on the human beings who were once there.
This documentary takes numerous precautions to avoid glorifying the women’s experiences in any way. By openly addressing topics of abuse and addiction, often in scenes where the participants are emotionally vulnerable, the filmmakers are unable to circumvent this issue completely, despite having the best intentions.
By focusing on the human stories of former inmates, Holloway attempts to reframe the perception of prisoners while drawing attention to the UK’s flawed care system. By its very design, though, this film cannot help but reproduce the tropes it wants to undo.
Andrew Murray
Holloway is released in select cinemas on 20th June 2025.
Watch the trailer for Holloway here:
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